The vessels Tarmo, Kemi and Telkkä at the quay of Maritime Centre Vellamo are open during the summer. The icebreaker Tarmo and the lightship Kemi can be accessed with a joint ticket, which you can purchase from Vellamo’s the ticket office. Admission to the patrol vessel Telkkä is free. Opening hours and admission fees are available here.
Museum ships can be explored independently by following the marked route and there are also guides present on all ships.
Please note that the museum ships are not accessible but contain stairs and are cramped at places.
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After World War II, there was a severe lack of coast guard equipment: one third of the vessels had been destroyed or ceded as war reparations. The rest of the equipment had suffered from heavy use and inadequate maintenance. Sea rescue and sea border control services were in trouble.
The new Koskelo-class vessels Koskelo, Kuikka, Kiisla, Kuovi, Kurki, Kaakkuri, Telkkä and Tavi (all named after water birds) were introduced in 1955–1960. The steel-framed coastguard vessels travelled along the narrow waterways of the archipelago and could also withstand the waves on the open sea. In addition to surveillance, they were used in sea rescue and search missions.
The design and construction of the vessels were characterised by the scarcity of those times. The intention was to replace them in ten years, but ultimately Telkkä sailed for almost 50 years. One of these decades she served as a school ship.
The Koskelo class was removed from use in the 1980s, but Telkkä, Kaakkuri and Kuikka were restored and donated to Estonia. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Baltic states had to quickly build their border control services from nothing. The issue was also important for Finland and the security of the entire Baltic Sea.
Today, the small coastguard vessels have been replaced by large patrol boats, technical surveillance and aircraft.
From summer 2023 onwards, Telkkä will be open to the public at the quay area of Maritime Centre Vellamo as part of the exhibitions of Kymenlaakso Museum/Coast Guard Museum.
Facts
Built in 1958 at Valmet Oy’s shipyard in Helsinki
Koskelo class light coastguard ship
Length 29 m, beam 5.1 m, displacement 95 tonnes
Crew 8 people
Engine power 2 x 1,350 hp (MTU), originally 2 x 500 hp (Valmet)
Speed 20 knots, originally 15 knots
Armament 20 mm Madsen automatic gun, 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun
Overhauled in 1970 at Laivateollisuus Oy’s shipyard in Turku
Donated to Estonia in 1992, where she operated under the name PVL-100
Donated to the Coast Guard Museum in Kotka as a museum ship in 2002
Explore: Visiting the museum vessels.
